Palestinian Activists Receive Suspended Sentences for Demonstrating Outside Starmer’s Residence
During a previous hearing, it was stated that Sir Keir Starmer’s wife was effectively compelled to leave her own home by a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
Three demonstrators who organized a pro-Palestinian protest that effectively forced Sir Keir Starmer’s wife out of her residence have received suspended prison sentences.
Leonorah Ward, 21, and Daniel Formentin, 24, from Leeds, along with Zosia Lewis, 23, from Newcastle, displayed a banner outside the Labour leader’s house in north London reading, “Starmer stop the killing” on April 9th this year.
They also adorned the pavement with painted bloody handprints and positioned rows of children’s shoes in front of the house symbolizing the numerous young lives lost in the Gaza Strip during the Israeli invasion that followed the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.
Ward, Formentin, and Lewis were found guilty of an offense under Section 42 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 after a one-day trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
District Judge Michael Snow sentenced them to six weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, meaning they will avoid prison if they refrain from further offenses in the next year.
During the trial, Sir Keir’s wife Victoria expressed feeling “a bit sick” when encountering the protest as she returned home and decided to park elsewhere.
At a previous hearing in April, prosecutor David Burns told the court that Ms. Starmer, after returning from shopping with her son, was unable to enter her property and was intimidated and scared by the protesters’ actions.
Mr. Burns stated, “This really impacted [Sir Keir’s] wife, as she was effectively forced out of her own residence.”
Ms. Starmer Was ‘Compelling and Persuasive’ Witness
The judge commended Ms. Starmer as a “compelling and persuasive” witness, acknowledging the heightened fears among politicians due to the numerous attacks on democracy, including the murders of MPs Jo Cox in 2016 and Sir David Amess in 2021.
Judge Snow highlighted the distress caused by protesters directly outside a senior politician’s residence, emphasizing it is likely to trigger anxiety.
He remarked, “The person who resides here is a senior politician … Anyone in that situation being aware that there were protesters directly outside their home is likely to cause distress.”
“It is laughable to assert to the contrary,” he added.
The demonstrators belonged to a group called Youth Demand, described as a new youth resistance campaign advocating for an end to genocide through non-violent direct action.
Defense attorney Andrew Morris suggested to Ms. Starmer that it was a peaceful protest, to which she responded, “It would look like a peaceful protest if it hadn’t been outside my home.”
Section 42 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 empowers the police to prevent harassment at a person’s residence if it is causing alarm or distress to the occupant.
‘We Didn’t Want to Scare Anyone’
Lewis stated, “We weren’t planning on staying there the whole day. We didn’t want to scare anyone.”
Formentin, a marketing consultant, explained that he targeted Sir Keir because he believed the Labour leader was not accurately representing the country regarding the Gaza conflict.
He expressed, “There is an overwhelming sense that young people in this country do want a ceasefire in Palestine.”
However, Formentin denied any intention to confront Sir Keir or his spouse and refuted claims that the protest was intimidating or threatening.
Ward mentioned in court that she did not take the action lightly.
Judge Snow, noting that the activists persisted with the protest despite a police officer’s instruction to leave, instructed them to pay £200 in legal costs.
PA Media contributed to this report.
